BAYONNE - The new elevated roadway on the Bayonne Bridge will open on Monday, Feb.20 after nearly four years of construction.

Initially, one lane will be open in each direction, but by the bridge’s expected full completion in 2019, four twelve-foot lanes will span the bridge along with a ten-foot shared pedestrian and cyclist path, inner and outer shoulders, and a median barrier.

Cashless tolling was announced earlier this week for the bridge, allowing drivers to pay tolls by mail. Scanners for EZPass will remain overhead, while cameras will detect license plates and mail tolls to the registered owner of that vehicle.

The $1.3 billion "Raise the Roadway" project, which began in May of 2013, raises the bridge by 64 feet to height of 214 feet over the Kill Van Kull.

Raising the Bayonne Bridge along with the Harbor Deepening Project, completed in September of 2016 and deepened the Kill Van Kull by 50 feet, will allow for larger container ships to access the terminals at Port Newark, GCT Bayonne, and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal.

Bridge construction was originally planned for completion simultaneously as the Harbor Deepening Project. However, multiple construction delays have prevented colossal container ships from reaching ports in New Jersey and delayed commuters traveling to and through Bayonne from Staten Island.

Watch a time-lapse video of the “Raise the Roadway” project and a video explaining Cashless Tolling at the Bayonne Bridge, both courtesy of the Port Authority of New York and NJ.